This section reiterates the Short-Term Strategy and Business Plan and juxtapositions it in the current situation vis-à-vis the annual work plans for the 2012 and 2013. It also rationalizes the process of alignment with the two documents that have been adopted by the Board. The task of formulating the Strategy was based on certain agreed strategic challenges and guiding principles for deriving it as shown below.

The strategic challenges facing the GDF were to:

Develop the necessary capabilities, capacities and organisational processes to deliver on its mandate;

Deliver viable developmental projects that have a high impact to all the beneficiary communities equitably;

ncrease public awareness of the Forum and position the Forum correctly in the minds of the beneficiary communities; and

Diversify the Forum's investment funding income.

The guiding principles in developing the Strategy were:

The thrust of the Forum's activities is to ensure the sustained development of the beneficiaries equitably;

Plans evolved from this strategy are internally aligned and consistent with the prescripts of the Forum's articles of association and the resources of the Forum;

The Strategy provides a clear stimulus to individual and organisational effort and commitment that resonates with the Forum's values; and

Aligns externally to the strategies of the key funders and partners of the Forum.

A combination of the challenges and guiding principles yielded the Key Objectives contained in the Strategy as shown in the box below. Of note are the third and fourth objectives, "To prudently diversify the investment income of the Forum" and "To leverage the Forum's collaborative efforts in strategic partnerships". The two are mutually reinforcing in that diversification of funding sources could essentially be as a result leveraging on strategic partners. What remains important in any case is establishment of sustainability. The source of support must be regenerative and adaptable for it to be considered as sustainable. There will therefore be greater need to design and commission income generation projects.

Objectives 5 and 6 are also complementary to each other as it is through better beneficiary stakeholder engagement that projects will be better targeted for each locality's set of challenges and most effectively deliver on the relevant solutions. Is also through better consultation with GLM, that the projects in each area will be more aligned to the IDP priorities which have been updated due to more vibrant participation in in IDP consultations.